Farhang.org

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, September 13, 2022

 

THE 13TH ANNUAL FARHANG FOUNDATION SHORT FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES ITS TOP SIX OFFICIAL SELECTIONS

 

The only short film festival in the world celebrating Iranian cinema returns with its annual award ceremony for the thirteenth year!

LOS ANGELES — LOS ANGELES— The Farhang Foundation Short Film Festival is pleased to announce its official selection of nominated films competing for this year's top awards. All six films are to be screened at the September 24 awards ceremony returning to UCLA's Schoenberg Hall after a two-year pandemic-imposed hiatus. The award winners will be announced live during the ceremony hosted by Iranian American comedian and actress Melissa Shoshahi (FOX, Laugh Factory, Nickelodeon), who will be returning as host for the fifth consecutive year. In addition, Farhang Foundation is honored to announce that this year's special guest presenters will include Lily Amir-Arjomand (founder of "Kanoon," the Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults of Iran), Ahmad Kiarostami (filmmaker and president of the Kiarostami Foundation), and actor Mojean Aria (Reminiscence, The Enforcer, See).

Iranian cinema continues to lead as an international force. Over the last thirteen years, the annual Farhang Foundation Short Film Festival has developed into a thriving platform for talented filmmakers worldwide who focus on reflecting Iranian culture and heritage in their films. Since 2009, the festival has awarded over $230,000 to filmmakers worldwide, including many from Iran.

"After having to cancel our festival competition in 2020 and only returning virtually for 2022, we couldn't be more excited to be back in person for this year's festival award ceremony," said Mark Amin, Farhang Foundation Trustee, and festival Jury Chair. "Every year, I am blown away by the quality of these top-notch films and the broad spectrum of talented filmmakers who participate in our competition from around the world, and of course, this year is no exception."

"This year's top six official selections represent some of the most moving and powerful films we have ever showcased in our long festival history," said Alireza Ardekani, Executive Director of Farhang Foundation. "The depth of quality in this year's lineup has been quite impressive, and I certainly didn't envy our incredible jury panel in making the final selections."

TOP SIX OFFICIAL SELECTION

 113

Directed by Neda Assef

Soldier number 113 is overworked and has fallen asleep in the military base conference room, in which a meeting session is soon to be held. He is suddenly woken up once the military commander and other high-ranking generals enter the room.

FARANAK

Directed by Mehrnoush Alia

Fired from his job, behind on his rent and abandoned by his wife, a burnt-out taxi driver gets an unusual passenger who is more similar to him than meets the eye.

INNER SELF

Directed by Mohammad Hormozi

A violinist wants to enter an administrative building but she lacks the formal required hijab, and she is forced to stay in the waiting room. While waiting in the room she is inspired by the events that take place.

KOOSEH, A MAN WHO CAN'T GROW A BEARD

Directed by Behzad Azadi

Samim, a teenage Afghan refugee boy with a secret, works illegally in a banquet hall in Tehran. The head waiter in the hall discovers Samim's big secret and has his sights on him.

NAZRI

Directed by Saleh Alavizadeh

After it was publicly revealed that Omid and his best friend Masoud were engaged in a same-sex relationship, Omid commits suicide. Forty days after the tragedy Omid's mother prepares a "Nazri" meal.

WHITE WINGED HORSE

Directed by Mahyar Mandegar

The figure of a white-winged horse has haunted Taha since childhood. He had begged his childhood sweetheart to escape their war-torn town with him. She chose to stay behind, waiting for her white-winged horse.

The Farhang Short Film Festival is open to filmmakers of any background. The top three winners of the year will receive cash prizes of $10,000, $5,000, and $3,000.

The 2022 jury includes Lily Amir-Arjomand, the founder and champion behind Iran's influential Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults, Ghasem Ebrahimian, award-winning filmmaker and cinematographer, who recently completed Shirin Neshat's LAND OF DREAMS, Paul Malcolm, UCLA Film and Television Archive's Film Programmer, responsible for the long-running series, the UCLA CELEBRATION OF IRANIAN CINEMA, Shahram Mokri, the ground-breaking writer and filmmaker responsible for FISH AND CAT, and CARELESS CRIME, and Sara Nodjoumi, the prolific filmmaker, producer and festival programmer who's most recent critically acclaimed documentary OF KINGS AND PAINTINGS provided a great insight into the world of Qajar art.

This year's award ceremony will be presented in collaboration with UCLA's Herb Alpert School of Music at Schoenberg Hall on Saturday, September 24, 2022. Tickets to the award ceremony may be purchased online via Farhang.org/Fest22, and include passes to the post-award reception and afterparty featuring music by DJ Omid Walizadeh.

 

ABOUT FARHANG FOUNDATION

Farhang Foundation is a member-supported nonreligious, nonpolitical and nonprofit foundation established in 2008 to celebrate and promote Iranian art and culture for the benefit of the community-at-large. The foundation supports a broad range of academic and cultural activities by funding university programs, diverse cultural programs such as the celebrations of Nowruz, and Shab-e Yalda as well as musical performances, film screenings and festivals.

 

For media inquiries contact:
Tannaz Guivi | press@farhang.org / 310-666-1546